Electrical connector member with spring tongue



14, 1956 H. WEBATCHELLER 2,759,165

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR MEMBER WITH SPRING TONGUE Filed Feb. 16, 1952United States Patent ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR MEMBER WITH SPRING TONGUE HughW. Batcheller, Newton Highlands, Mass, assignor to Ark-Les SwitchCorporation, Waterfown, Mass., a corporation of MassachusettsApplication February 16, 1952, Serial No. 271,949

2 Claims. (Cl. 339-256) This invention relates to an electric connectormember adapted to cooperate with a corresponding member comprising aflat metal tongue with a central recess such as a dimple or hole. It isdesirable that when the members of the connectors are joined, surfaceareas of the two members will be firmly pressed together to make a goodelectrical contact. It is also desirable that the interengagement of themembers be such as to prevent too easy a separation of the members. Itis an object of the present invention to provide a connector memberwhich has these desirable characteristics and which can easily andcheaply be made.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be hadto the following description thereof and to the drawing of which- Figure1 is a plan view of two members of an electrical connector, one of whichembodies the invention;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the two members in their mutuallyconnected position, a portion being broken away to show in section;

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a part of a modified form of connector memberembodying the invention;

Figure 6 is a section on line 6--6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a plan view of part of another modified form of connectormember; and

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

The female connector member 10 embodying the invention is shown inFigures 1 and 2, with a male member 12 which is of common constructionand is of a spade type consisting chiefly of a rectangular tongue ofmetal which slides into the shallow channel of the female member 10. Thelatter may conveniently be made of sheet metal such as brass or copper.A blank is cut from the sheet and folded to shape. The member 10comprises a plane floor 14 having side walls 16 extending along the sideedges of the floor and rising up therefrom. An inturned flange 18extends along the upper edge of each wall 16 and overhangs a portion ofthe floor 14. The flanges 13 are spaced above the floor 14 by a distanceslightly greater than the thickness of the male member 12, the width ofwhich is slightly less than the distance between the two side walls 16so that the member 10 receives the member 12 with a sliding fit, theside margins of the member 12 being between the floor 14 and theoverhanging flanges 18. The receiving end of the member 10 as shown inFigure 1 is the left end. At the opposite end of the member, elements 20and 22 may be provided, if desired, to clamp on to the bared end portionof a Wire 24 and on to the adjacent insulation 26, respectively. Ifpreferred, the wire can be welded to the attaching portion of the member10.

In order to provide a good electrical connection between these twomembers, the floor 14 of the member 10 is cut as at 30 to form a tongue32 lying within the margins of the floor. This tongue is integral withthe ice floor and is bent upward so that it extends out of the plane ofthe 'fioor as indicated in Figure 2. Near the free end of the tongue 32a small boss 34 is preferably formed, this boss being the highest pointon the tongue above the plane of the floor 14. If a relatively softmetal such as soft brass is used in making the member 10, the floor ofthe member may be struck along the juncture of the tongue 32 with thefloor 14 to indent a transversely extending area of the floor asindicated at 36. Part or all of the tongue itself may be similarly coldworked. This hardens the metal at the base of the tongue and provides aresilient restoring force if the free end of the tongue is depressed. Ifpreferred, the entire member 10 may be made of spring metal instead. Ineither case, the tongue serves as a spring to press against the underface of the member 12 when the latter is thrust between the floor 14 andthe flanges 18. The member 12 is preferably provided with recesses 38which may be in the form of indentations as shown or a hole through themember. The boss 34 enters one of these recesses to prevent easyretraction of the member 12 from the member 10. The tongue 32 shown inFigures 1 and 2 extends away from the receiving end of the member 10 sothat the advancing end of the member 12 will ride up on the slopingsurface of the tongue to depress the same when the two members arebrought together.

A modified form of the member 10 is illustrated at 40 in Figures 5 and6. The member 40 has a plane floor portion 42 with side walls 44 andinturned flanges 46 which overhang part of the floor. Portions of thefloor are cut away as at 48 to form two or more tongues 50 which arebent up to extend out of the plane of the floor as indicated in Figure6. The tips of these tongues are shaped as at 52 to form portions of aboss somewhat similar to the boss 34 so as to cooperate with therecesses 38 of the member 12. The side margins 54 of the tongues 50which are toward the receiving end of the member are sloped so as toguide the leading edge of the member 12 as it enters the member 40.Other numbers and arrangements of tongues can be made to serve the samepurpose of pressing the member 12 against the end faces of the flanges18 or 46.

Another modification is shown in Figures 7 and 8. A U-shaped cut-out 60is made in the floor to form a tongue 62 which extends toward thereceiving end of the member instead of extending away from it as inFigure 1. In lieu of forming a boss 34 on the tongue 62, its free endportion 64 is bent down to form a transverse ridge 66 which is adaptedto enter a corresponding recess (not shown) in a complementary maleconnector member. The end portion 64 of the tongue slopes downwardtoward the receiving end of the member, its tip being at or below thelevel of the upper surface of the floor 70, so that when a male memberis thrust into the channel, its entering end slides on the inclined endportion 64 and springs the tongue downward.

I claim:

1. An electric connector member consisting of a piece of sheet brassbent to shape with a plane floor, upstanding side walls along the sidesof the floor and inturned flanges on the side Walls overhanging the sidemargins of said floor, said floor being cut within the margins thereofto form a tongue integral therewith, said tongue being indented and bentalong its line of juncture with the floor so as to incline upward fromthe plane of the floor, the highest point of the tongue being near thefree end thereof.

2. An electrical connector for receiving a spade type terminalcomprising a floor portion, two opposing sides of the floor rolled anddoubled back in a tubular manner, a substantially V-shaped slot in saidfloor the apex of which is in the direction of an entering spadeterminal, the tongue of said V-slot being bent upwardly to cooperatewith the edges of said tubularly bent sides in exerting yieldablepressure on a spade type terminal inserted therebetween, a detentcentrally disposed in said 5 spade terminal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS581,455 Dean Apr. 27, 1897 4 Nichols May 16, Rabezzana Nov. 11,McClatchie June 1, Douglas Mar. 19, Folsom June 11, Hayes Dec. 25,Batcheller June 10, Batcheller June 10,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Sept. 24,

